Safety plays a significant role in the decision to purchase a new car, and Fiat has fully embraced the principles of making their cars as safe as possible and exceeding legal requirements. The best, or most recognised, measure of car safety is Euro NCAP testing. This encompasses a range of tests designed to demonstrate the relative safety of each car.
Established in 1997 and now backed by seven European governments, the European Commission, and motoring and consumer organisations in every EU country, Euro NCAP is an independent body not linked to any individual car manufacturer.
Each car undergoes five separate tests: front, side and pole impact tests to measure adult occupant protection, plus further tests to check child and pedestrian protection. The first three tests are briefly explained below to give you a feel for the work Euro NCAP does, and how their results are obtained. Full details on these tests plus the child and pedestrian tests can be found at the Euro NCAP website.
FRONT IMPACT
Each car tested is subjected to an offset impact at 64kph (40mph) into an immovable block fitted with a deformable face, and readings taken from dummies are used to assess protection given to adult front occupants. This impact is intended to represent the most frequent type of road crash, resulting in serious or fatal injury. It simulates one car having a head-on collision with another car of similar weight. As most frontal crashes involve only part of the car’s front, the test is offset. The barrier face is deformable to represent the deformable nature of the cars. This test is a severe test of the car’s ability to survive this impact.
SIDE IMPACT
The second most important crash configuration is car-to-car side impact (when a car is T-boned). Euro NCAP simulates this type of crash by having a mobile deformable barrier impact the driver’s door at 50km/h. Injury protection is assessed by a side impac test dummy in the driver’s seat. The critical issues are how the side of the car deforms and intrudes into the passenger compartment. Side airbags significantly improve the results in this test.
POLE IMPACT
This is an additional side impact test designed specifically to check the performance of window (or curtain) airbags. It is a very severe test which, although artificial and not representing any real-life situation, allows an assessment of head protection systems. In this test the car, mounted on a trolley, is propelled sideways into a rigid pole. The pole is purposefully narrow to cause significant intrusion into the passenger compartment.
Safety Features of Fiat Cars
PREVENTATIVE SAFETY
Preventative safety is deemed to be aspects of the car that prevent the causes of accidents, such as driver tiredness, blind spots, etc. Fiat cars meet preventive safety needs with adjustable cockpits that adapt perfectly to drivers of any size. The combination of a fully adjustable driver’s seat and steering-wheel, allied to extensively glazed areas, allows the best possible view of the road ahead. User-friendly ergonomics allow the driver to operate all instruments and controls without taking their eyes off the road. Options such as rain sensitive windscreen wipers, foglights, and light sensitive headlights all enable our customers to further improve the preventative aspects of our cars.
PASSIVE SAFETY
Passive safety covers those areas of the car that help reduce the effects of an accident, should one happen. Fiat cars start by having a structure which is carefully designed and optimised to perform in the best possible way in any incident. Their chassis are each designed to provide exceptional torsional stiffness while absorbing impact with maximum efficiency. There are then a series of features (outlined below) that further improve passive safety.
AIRBAGS
There are four different locations in which airbags may be installed, depending on the model and version. Driver and passenger front airbags are in the steering wheel and dashboard respectively, and protect the occupants when a front impact causes them to move forward.
Side airbags are housed in the outer sides of the two front seats, protecting the occupants during side impacts.
Window airbags (also known as curtain airbags) are housed in the roof lining and expand downwards along the full length of the side windows like a curtain, protecting the heads of occupants in side impacts. Knee airbags are fitted underneath the dashboard to protect the driver’s knees.
Operation of the airbags is governed by an electronic control unit that evaluates crash severity via a number of sensors located throughout the car. The front passenger airbag may be deactivated manually via the menu on the control panel. A dashboard warning light indicates this condition.
ISOFIX ATTACHMENTS
ISOFIX attachments are fitted to several Fiat cars to ensure the easy and safe installation of child seats. These take the form of two pairs of brackets located at the base of the two outer rear seat squabs. The bracket sizes and settings are in accordance with European standards so that the seat can be re-used on any other vehicle.
FIRE PREVENTION SYSTEM (FPS)
The FPS fitted to all Fiat cars comprises a cut-off valve and an inertia switch that block the electric petrol pump. This prevents fuel loss in the case of impact, roll over or damage to the fuel lines. The fuel tanks are formed of a plastic resistant to mechanical stress and fire.
ACTIVE SAFETY
Active safety comprises those features that reduce the likelihood of an incident by changing the dynamics of the car. They include the full range of braking, traction control and stability systems available on the market today.
BRAKES
The servo-assisted braking system on all Fiat cars features two independent crossover hydraulic circuits to ensure prompt, linear braking and shorter stopping distances.
ABS
An advanced ABS system, featuring four active sensors, four channels and a hydraulic control unit with eight solenoids, is fitted as standard across the entire Fiat range. The system is complemented by an Electronic Brakeforce Distributor (EBD) that governs the braking action on the rear axle to prevent the wheels locking and ensure full control of the car in all situations.
The system also adapts its operation to wheel grip conditions and brake pad efficiency, to reduce pad overheating and the brake servo thrust requirement.
ASR AND MSR
Most new Fiats can also be equipped with (as an option) a sophisticated Anti-Schlupf Regelung (ASR) system, otherwise known as traction control, to restrict wheel spin in conditions of reduced grip. ASR traction control works at any speed, and prevents the driven wheels from spinning by adjusting torque to available levels of grip.
MSR (Motor Schleppmoment Regelung) intervenes when a gear is shifted down abruptly in low grip conditions. The system restores torque to the engine to prevent a slide as a result of wheel lock-up. Both ASR and MSR are available when ESP is ordered as an option, along with Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA).
HBA
On cars without ESP, emergency brake assistance takes the form of Emergency Valve Assistance (EVA): a mechanical system located inside the brake servo. On vehicles fitted with ESP, the function is carried out electronically by the ABS control unit and is known as Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA). Both systems carry out an identical function with equal efficiency.
ESP
A permanently engaged Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), which activates to help control the car when its stability is at risk, can be fitted to most Fiat cars, and is standard on some.
Via sensors monitoring car body rotation, lateral acceleration and steering wheel input, the system assesses vehicle stability and the proximity to either an understeer or oversteer slide. EPS restores stability by applying smoothly modulated braking to the appropriate wheel individually, and simultaneously reducing engine power. Engine power reduction is also carefully modulated to ensure a minimum of performance loss and hence continued driver satisfaction.
HILL HOLDER
Fiat’s Hill Holder system helps drivers pull smoothly away from an upwards-facing hill start. It operates when the car senses it is on a hill, first gear is engaged, and both the clutch and brake pedals are pressed. The control unit then keeps the brakes on for about 1.5 seconds after the brake pedal is released to eliminate the risk of rolling backwards and ensure a smooth pull away. Hill Holder does not operate when setting off downhill in first gear, but does so when reverse is engaged and the driver wishes to reverse uphill.